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Dodgers blow a seven-run lead in 10-9 loss to Phillies

August 12, 2010 | 8:05
pm

What a meltdown. What a completely miserable meltdown.

After leading 9-2 going into the bottom of the eighth, the Dodgers suffered their most crushing loss of the season Thursday when Carlos Ruiz completed a stunning Philadelphia comeback with a two-run double off the wall against Jonathan Broxton for a 10-9 Phillies victory.

The Phillies scored four times in the eighth off Ronald Belisario and four more times off Broxton in the ninth.

For Broxton, it continued a miserable history against the Phillies. Philadelphia loaded the bases in the ninth without a hit as Broxton hit batter and gave up a pair of walks. Casey Blake then booted a potential double-play grounder for a two-run error before Ruiz completed the comeback.

Struggling Matt Kemp returned to the lineup after a two-game benching and drove in four runs, two on his team-high 19th home run.

After being shut out the previous night, the Dodgers went right to work against Joe Blanton, scoring three times in the first.

Scott Podsednik led off with a single to center and James Loney drew a two-out walk before a succession of singles by Ronnie Belliard, Kemp and Jamey Carroll each drove in a run.

The Phillies got one back in the second against Clayton Kershaw after Ruiz singled and Wilson Valdez doubled him to third. Blanton managed to drive in the run when he bounced out to Belliard at third.

Philadelphia made it a 3-2 game in the fourth when Jayson Werth singled, stole second and scored on a Ruiz hit.

The Dodgers, however, got the run back in the fifth after Ryan Theriot singled and an Andre Ethier single sent him to third.

Belliard lined out to Raul Ibanez in medium left, but Theriot tagged anyway. The throw by Ibanez was on line, but Theriot made a terrific slide, going to the far side of the plate to elude the Ruiz tag and then touch the plate with his left hand.

The Dodgers got to reliever Chad Durbin in the seventh when Loney singled and Kemp drilled his two-run homer to left.

The Dodgers seemed to have the game put away after scoring three runs in the eighth on RBI singles by Blake, Kemp and Carroll to take a 9-2 lead.

But the Phillies managed to turn it into a nervous affair against a lost-lookingBelisario in the eighth.

Belisario gave up four runs on four hits and a bizarre balk when he faked a throw to third, despite there being no runner at the base. He did not record an out.

Beleaguered reliever George Sherrill followed Kenley Jansen to put an end to the Phillies’ rally.

Broxton came on to close it in the ninth, but did not record an out.

The loss dropped them nine games behind the Padres.

The Dodgers, who had 18 hits against the Phillies on Tuesday, had 15 on Thursday.

Kershaw went 6 2/3 innings. He gave up the two runs on six hits and a pair of walks, with four strikeouts.